OUTGOING Labour TD, Mr Sean Ryan, who topped the poll in Dublin North in 1992, said he was "devastated" to lose his seat.
Speaking after the count in Portmarnock, he said politics was ["a cruel game, but that's what it's all about. We are in a democratic society and we accept the vote of [the electorate." He accepted there had been a swing against the Labour Party, particularly on the issue of water charges in Dublin. He said the media had played a role in the poor performance of the Labour Party, singling out the Irish Independent for strong criticism. "I'm not saying we did not make mistakes ... of course we did but when people are being lashed on a daily basis by the media it's a factor.
Irrespective of what Dick Spring did, he got a very negative response, but he was an excellent Tanaiste.
Asked about the public perception of Mr Spring, he said: "There was a Dick Spring factor in meeting people on the doorsteps. People said `We acknowledge the work you are doing, but we don't particularly like Dick Spring.'" Mr Ryan said the water charges' had been an important issue but stressed that his party had done away with the charges. "There was a movement against the Labour Party," he said.